Vanguard of the Night
by PecanPraline
Summary: A story of Princess Luna and her pegasus guard pony
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **The Mare in the Moon**

 _All ponies know the old mare's tale about the Mare in the Moon, once the sister of beloved Princess Celestia who let envy cloud her heart and turn her evil, causing her to create an endless night over all of Equestria. Her cruel act led to Princess Celestia having to banish her sister to imprisoned in the moon for one thousand years, so that she could attone for what she had done._

"But granpa, that isn't fair!"

The tiny voice interrupted the old stallion's story. He looked around in confusion for a moment until he located which of his grandfoals had spoken. Nimbus Vanguard, the youngest, was looking back at him with a fierce expression. The old pony hid a smile and leaned forward curiously.

"And just what is it that isn't fair to you?" he asked. Nimbus snorted.

"The other princess didn't mean to do it! She was just sad! Nopony was awake to play with her at night, and she was lonely, so she got upset when everypony liked her sister more. I'd be upset too, if I were in her place."

"Ugh, c'mon Cloudy, just let us hear the story already," one of the older foals groaned. But the old stallion chuckled.

"Your defending her is very sweet. And very you, little Nimbus. But what of all the ponies she hurt by making it stay night? It was dark, and things wouldn't grow."

The little pony frowned at that, and looked down while he thought it over. After a long pause, he looked up again. "She probably wasn't thinking. She wanted everypony to like her night, but they were sleeping through it. So she made it always be night so that even when ponies were awake, they would see her hard work. Like when Stratus pushes everypony else's drawings off the fridge to put up his."

" _What?!"_ Several of the foals shouted, jumping on their brother to attack him. He went down beneath them with a yelp, leaving the conversation between Nimbus and their grandfather practically private. The two stared at each other while they ignored the shouting, both looking the other over in a very serious manner, as if sizing each other up. Finally, the old stallion broke the staring with a laugh.

"Nimbus, you have the right way of looking at life."

"Huh?" the colt asked, eyebrow raised.

His grandfather got down from his chair and crouched in front of Nimbus, putting a hoof on his shoulder. "You realized that Princess Luna had her own side to this story too. What she did _was_ wrong, but you trying to figure out why shows compassion. Hold on to that. Always try to find out why a pony did what they did. That's the fastest way to solve a problem, and prevent future problems from happening. I know you can do it." He then stood up as straight as he could and moved to help his daughter break up the fight between his grandfoals. Nimbus watched as he explained to them why Stratus did that, and explained to Stratus why that upset them so much. It was mere minutes before all six of his siblings were apologizing to each other and making promises to be kinder to each other. Eyes wide, Nimbus decided he would always try to do the same thing for others.

He spent the rest of the day wandering around Ponyville, looking for oppurtunities to help mediate arguments between ponies so that he could practice his skills. There were actually very few instances in which he was needed, but he enjoyed feeling helpful all the same. He as out all day long, and didn't return home until after dinner time. He was so late, Celestia had already begun to raise the moon. He paused to watch its silvery surface rise into view, his eyes fixed on the spotted surface that was shaped like a mare's head. He waved up to it, then went inside to be greeted by a scolding from his mother.

After eating dinner, the little pegasus went upstairs to his room. Cumulus was already inside, flopped across his bed with a book. Nimbus knew better than to bother him, so he went to the window instead to stare at the sky.

"You know... The night sky really is beautiful," he smiled to himself after a bit. He kept his eyes on the sky, especially the moon, until he was too exhausted to any longer. He stayed there, resting on the window sill until morning, when Cumulus woke him up. This slowly became a nightly routine with him, falling asleep at the window as he stared into the stars. He eventually saw reason and only stayed up an extra hour each night, but it was enough for him. He was fascinated with the still beauty, and he wanted the moon princess to know that after all this time, at least one pony loved her night time.

Nimbus was in training at the Royal Guard Academy the night that the moon rose without the image of the mare on it, along with the news of Celestia's disappearance. The news of Nightmare Moon came as no surprise to him either when seven hours later, the sun still had not risen. He was desperate to try to talk to her, to try and help her see reason. But he had been ordered to stay in Canterlot to ensure that no mass panic broke out and to protect from anything harmful that might arise, and he could not abandon his post. He stayed there all throughout the prolonged night, undaunted by the darkness or cold that came with it. He was used to it, after all.

Finally, the sun rose. Celestia was seen in the sky, flying back to the palace. And there, at her side, was a younger alicorn, her coat a dark blue and her expression a mixture of fear and shame. Nimbus watched them as they passed over him in awe. It wasn't much later that the return of Princess Luna was announced to all of Equestria.

Nimbus celebrated just like everypony else. But then, when night began to fall and everypony else was heading for bed, he went to the window to celebrate in his own way: watching the moon rise. From a certain window on the second floor of the Academy, he could see the balcony from which the Princess raised the moon.

Celestia came forward as usual. But this time, her sister was at her side. They seemed to be having a conversation with each other, and he almost felt as if he was intruding even though he couldn't hear. He watched as Celestia lowered the sun with almost no visible effort, and then his eyes moved to Luna. She seemed nervous, shuffling from hoof to hoof and looking down. Her horn lit up as she tried to raise the moon, showing clear signs of strain. She even flapped her wings as she strained.

"C'mon... You can do it..." he found himself whispering, his breath fogging the glass. She gave it one final effort, raising her head; and the moon with it.

She relaxed then, though her chest still heaved up and down. Nimbus clapped his hooves together softly, the only way he could hold back a cheer. He then watched as the sky grew darker and the stars came out. He did not, however, stay for a full hour. He had an exam in the morning. Besides, he didn't need to look at the Mare in the Moon any more. She was already here on the ground with her ponies.

He graduated from the Academy after two more years, and was accepted into the ranks of the Royal Guard. Unfortunately, he was put on the day shift, and had to wake up early every morning. This made it harder and harder to stay awake at night, until finally he had to give it up all together. He just couldn't do it. He was too tired from his duties, patrols, and sentry work to stay awake. Some nights, he still tried. But it was getting harder and harder to explain what he was doing when the next patrol found him asleep at the window.

One such night, the soothing smell of lavendar had lured him off to sleep a bit faster than usual, and he was asleep at the window when Luna was changing the flowers around. She noticed him instantly, and levitated him off to his bed in the barracks. His captain apologized for the inconvenience, but she simply waved it off.

"It was no trouble. Sleeping ponies are the ones I am most accustomed to," she explained. She then went to oversee everypony's dreams for the night. Her job was to keep nightmares at bay, after all.

But her mind kept drifting curiously back to that guard. What was he doing, sleeping in the window? Was he so tired that he hadn't made it to his bed? As her thoughts wandered, a bubble floated up in front of her face. Inside was the guard, sitting on a bed in a foal's room and looking out of his window at the moon. He seemed peaceful.

Curiosity got the better of her. After looking around to make sure no pony was having a nightmare, she entered his dream. As she looked around, she noticed a pony sleeping in the other bed. He looked like they might be related, with a similar-colored mane and the same nose shape. There was also a bookshelf between their beds, posters on the wall, an old toy chest, and a closet. It seemd very comfortable a place to be, in Luna's opinion.

She approached the guard from behind and gave a small "Ahem" to alert him to her pressence. He jumped just a little bit, then looked around to see who it was. Upon seeing Luna, however, he jumped much more and quickly bowed his head respectfully.

"Princess Luna! It is an honor to meet you," he said.

She gave him a soft smile. "Arise, young stallion. I have come to ask some... Questions of you, if that is alright?" She was doing her best not to ruin the cozy atmosphere of his dream by being too stiff and formal. In her opinion, it wasn't working, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, when he lifted his head, he had a huge grin.

"Of course! I'm happy to help any way that I can, even answering questions."

Luna nodded, a little confused by his eagerness but willing to accept it. "Why is it that you had fallen asleep at the window instead of in your bed?" she began. He blushed and looked away from her, his smile shrinking. But he still answered her.

"Well, you see Princess... I really _really_ admire your sky. The moon and stars are just so beautiful, and I like the stillness. I was trying to stay awake so that I could watch you raise the moon, but... Well, clearly that didn't work."

He was blushing as he finished, and Luna was surprised to feel herself turning red as well. "You... Like the night?" she asked.

He nodded. "Ever since I was little, I've loved the night time. My grandfather told us all about how you... Well, how you were banished-" she flinched, her expression growing more serious. "-B-but I always thought it was unfair how you were punished just for wanting pnies to like you. So I had this silly idea to fall in love with the night, so that if you came back, you could know that at least one pony liked it. But now I can't even stay awake... I'm sorry."

He ended his explanation with a sigh. Luna listened closely, and she was unable to keep her grim look. It slowly melted into one of thanks, and she lifted his face to look him in the eye.

"I thank you for this caring that you have shown for my feelings. It means very much to me that somepony has made such efforts to accomodate me and acknowledge the hard work that I do."

She let her hoof drop then, and turned to leave his dream. She then paused, suddenly thinking of something, and looked back over her shoulder to say, "You know, if you carry such affection for the night, perhaps you could request a change to the night shift? There are much fewer openings, but also much fewers ponies who are willing to fill them. It would mean that you may become nocturnal, but if you love the night as much as you say, then perhaps that would suit you just fine."

With that, she left him to his dream, but both of them felt that their spirits were much lighter after the encounter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **The Captain, Sargent, and Soldier**

"Nimbus Vanguard?" a cool voice rang out from behind the desk. The mare that was serving as the current secretary to Captain Valiant stared down at the papers in front of her, ignoring the silvery-white pegasus as he jumped up from his seat. Unsure of himself, he trotted up to her and coughed nervously.

"Th-that would be me, ma'am."

"Mhm… The Captain will see you now. Try to not seem like such a timid foal, though. He hates that in his subordinates," she said with a flick of her tail, gesturing to the door. Nimbus nodded, turning to face forward before giving the door a firm tap with a hoof. He had meant it as a knock, but it caused the door to swing open instead. He flinched. The secretary sighed and then gave him a shove that sent him sprawling. He landed on his nose, and turned just in time to see the door slam shut behind him. Before he had time to be offended, however, a gruff voice caught his attention.

He quickly jumped to attention, not even daring to dust himself off as he faced Captain Valiant. The older unicorn shook his head and mumbled "at ease". Slowly, Nimbus lowered his hoof and brushed his wings against his flanks to wipe away the dirt. The Captain was much quieter than normal. Whenever Nimbus had seen him before, he was shouting crisp, clear orders across the battalion. This grumbly old pony approach was making him nervous.

His eyes followed the Captain's every movements as the unicorn's horn lit up, lifting a stack of papers to his eyes. Nimbus recognized them instantly. "Is that… My file, sir?" he asked, doing his best to sound only curious and not freaked out. Valiant nodded slowly, still reading. The two stallions continued to stand there in relative silence that was only broken by the sound of the papers turning. It seemed like he was reading for eternity, and the pressure felt like it was weighing down on Nimbus. Just as he was sure he was going to pop; the papers fell into a neat stack on the desk and the Captain looked up.

"So," he began, "the night shift?"

"Uh- Yes sir. If it is possible, that is," came Nimbus's painfully strained reply. He coughed, trying to settle his nerves. Captain Valiant raised one eyebrow, then looked down at the top paper once more.

"Says here that you've been part of the Day Patrol for almost a year and a half now. Why the sudden desire to change?"

"W-well sir, you see…" Nimbus looked down at his hooves. How was he supposed to explain himself without saying something stupid? He let his eyes drift around the room, trying to think, when he spotted a mural of the princesses. His eyes fell on the beautiful deep blues, and found himself speaking without realizing the words. "Princess Luna… Princess Luna recommended I do it."

He shifted his gaze straight forward once more and found the Captain looking back curiously. A sense of duty washed over him, and he stood straighter. But his newfound resolve wavered as the Captain said "Ah, yes. I was there when she brought you back to the barracks. I've been meaning to reprimand you about that."

"That was because-!" He caught himself just before he said anything foolish, but he knew he had to give a reason now. Captain Valiant was growing impatient. "B-because… I wanted to be sure the shift change was completed. Sir," he added quickly. "I hadn't seen any of the night guard in the hallways yet, and I was worried that no pony would be around while Princess Luna was doing her nightly rounds with the lavender."

What he said was true, but he was also doing his best to avoid giving away his other motive of wanting to see the night. Valiant nodded slowly, his eyes never moving from Nimbus's face. The pressure was starting to increase again, and Nimbus could feel his heartbeat in his throat. Finally, the Captain moved from his seat and trotted up to the pegasus.

"Nimbus," he almost seemed to sigh, "I'll be honest with you. I like your devotion to keeping the Princesses safe. I don't see that in enough of the guards, at least not as their top priority. But I'm worried about you making the shift to becoming nocturnal. You've got a long history of falling asleep in the hallways, you know."

"I can do it! I promise! It was just how early I had to wake up before, I know I can make the change if I can sleep during the day!" He would have continued to excitedly plead his case, except that he caught sight of the Captain's expression and realized his insubordination. He immediately fell silent, looking mortified. Then, to his utter shock, the Captain laughed.

"Well, if you're that enthusiastic about it, I'm sure I don't have to worry about you. Just make sure you keep your composure around the Princesses. And," his face suddenly grew hard and his voice cold, "don't you ever interrupt your superior officers again. Got it?"

Nimbus waited several seconds before answering. "Y-yes, Sir."

"Good. Now go report to Sargent Starfall for your assignment."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir," Nimbus said in a hurry, saluting as he backed out of the room. The second the door was closed, he leapt straight into the air, throwing his head back to let out a small shout of joy. The secretary rolled her eyes, but she had a slight smile on her face anyway. His joy was much too infectious.

He landed a few moments later and trotted down the hallway towards Sargent Starfall's office, a room which he had never been in before. He didn't know much about the Sargent, which made him nervous. But he was so excited that he could be part of the guard for Princess Luna, and see her night once again, that he wobbled his way forward and knocked on the door with no hesitation.

"Come on in!~" called a soft and alluring voice. Nimbus pushed the door open and peeked in. An especially pretty pony sat behind the desk in the middle of the room, leaning on one hoof as her magenta mane fell over half of her face. She was a deep purple color, and on her visible eye she had a much lighter purple four-point star. The whole place was full of the scent of jasmine and vanilla, and it was making his head swim a bit.

"Erm… Are you Sargent Starfall?" Nimbus asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She laughed, a gentle sort of giggle, and stood up to walk towards him. Nimbus, for his part, was still unsure of who he was dealing with and decided to stand at attention. The strange mare walked around him, the smell growing stronger as she looked him over.

Finally, she stopped in front of him, her nose inches away from his. "You can call me Haven, handsome," she said with a grin, her face approaching his. Reflexively, he jerked backwards.

"Pardon me, ma'am. I seem to have entered the wrong room. I'm terribly sorry to have bothered-" he was cut off as her hoof pressed against his mouth, which he frowned at.

"Darling, it's alright, you can stay with me for a while. No one will interrupt us.~"

Nimbus gave her a stern look and gently pushed her hoof away. "I'm afraid I have to decline, miss. I am on duty right now, and must report to my superior officer. Perhaps when my shift is finished, I can come back and we can converse with each other. For now, though, I have to go."

He offered her a small smile, then turned to leave and walked right into a dark grey pony with white flecks across her coat. He took a small step back, and then looked up at the stern expression. Slowly, it cracked into a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"Well, it seems you passed that test. Well done Nimbus. And thank you, Star Haven."

"Sure thing, Sis!" the purple mare said, flashing Nimbus a wide grin before blowing him a kiss. Side-by-side, he could see the resemblance in their facial shapes, but beyond that they were like night and day.

The grey mare, who was clearly Sargent Starfall, spoke with her commanding voice again. "You must not have been in the infirmary a lot, if you have never seen my sister."

"Actually… I've really only ever seen Nurse Soft Spot and Nurse Heart Breaker, ma'am."

"Right, right, day shift… That's gonna be a real switch around for you, kid. Let's go," the Sargent said, already turning to leave. Her tail was cut incredibly short, and somehow that intimidated Nimbus. He followed her quietly, keeping a respectful distance.

They passed through the halls of the castle as it fell more and more silent around them, and Nimbus glanced out the windows in time to see the moon rise. Instinctively, he began to yawn, but quickly tried to stifle it. It strained his throat, but he managed to conceal it. The scent of fresh lavender drifted around them, which wasn't helping. He stifled another yawn, and Sargent Starfall said over her shoulder "Don't worry, I won't keep you long. But you will be waking up later in the day. And feel free to ask questions. You're making a very big change, after all."

Nimbus thought about it, tapping his chin with one wing as they walked. "I suppose I would like to know… Where we're going? Ma'am?" It was hard to tell, but he thought he saw the corner of her mouth lift.

"We are going to the night barracks, so that you know where they are. Everypony should already be out of bed by now, so you should have no trouble going to sleep."

"And… All of my things?"

"Already moved while you were on shift today."

He nodded thoughtfully, feeling a small twinge of curiosity still, but unsure if he should satisfy it. "Will… Will I be starting tonight?"

The Sargent stopped dead in her tracks, and Nimbus in his tired state almost walked right into her. She then looked back at him in concern. "Are you kidding? There is absolutely no way I would ask you to work a second shift. You would not only be too tired to be an effective guard, you would likely hurt yourself. No, no, we're going to ease you into a new sleep schedule over the week. Half shifts only until you've grown accustomed to the change, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Nimbus tried not to sound too relieved. They finally reached the end of the hallway, and Sargent Starfall pushed open the door to reveal a room completely lit up, despite the lights being extinguished throughout the rest of the palace. She sighed when she saw that, and shook her head as she led him in.

"These were supposed to be doused when everypony left. I'm sorry, I'll send somepony along to take care of it shortly. Your bed is right here. Please try and stay awake as long as possible before falling asleep, and try to keep falling asleep throughout the day. Yes," she added with another faint grin, "I am ordering you to take naps. Sleep well, Nimbus Vanguard. And… Welcome to the night shift."

She left him alone then, still smiling, and once her hoofsteps had faded, he fell into the bed with a sigh. He glanced up towards one of the high windows, which were small to prevent daylight leaking through them, and noticed something. A balcony. And standing on the edge of it, overlooking the world below, was Princess Luna. Nimbus smiled, and then the exhausted pegasus fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The change from day shift to night shift was… jarring, to say the least. It started with him being woken up every three hours by somepony coming in and lighting far too many lamps and chatting, and really only got worse from there.

Introductions were quite lax, as most other guards were not awake when he was. There was a lot of "ooooh, _you're_ the new pegasus!" and "nice to see a new face!" or even the occasional "your bright coat would be a dead giveaway in the dark of night, I can't believe you're here…" (although that one was mostly said by a very grumpy unicorn he later found out was named Shadow Dancer). It wasn't until the third night that he was able to stay awake long enough to really learn ponies' names.

But by the fifth night, he was starting to get the hang of things. He was mostly allowed to roam around after his half-shift ended, and the other guards had gotten used to him and didn't question his presence anymore. He had become almost fully nocturnal, only needing to sleep the last hour before sunrise now. And he was becoming less susceptible to the smell of lavender, making it easier to keep a clear head. Sargent Starfall has even complimented his progress once!

It was on the sixth night, shortly after his half-shift had ended, that he noticed. He glanced out the window that he always did, the one two doors away from the barrack, where he could see the balcony, and he stopped in his tracks. He couldn't see Princess Luna.

He felt his heart plummet like a stone in his chest, and he quickly turned to find the staircase up. He knew he was still in full armor, and that he might look a little crazy trying to both hurry and restrain himself. But he feared for what this could mean. Strange things happened all the time! She could have been marenapped, or turned to stone, or-

Nimbus turned the corner and was alarmed to see that there were no guards at the entrance to the balcony. His lungs felt like they were being squeezed as he held his breath and peeked around the doorway. Nopony in sight. The squeeze turned to crushing weight as he stifled a worried cry and looked frantically up and down the dark hallway. The Princess was missing!

"The… the Sargent! I have to tell the Sargent. She should have an idea. Can't look frazzled though, no no. If I go this way, it should be faste-!" his worries muttering was cut short as he tripped over his own hoof. He tipped forward and went flying with a crash as his armor connected with the cold tile floor. He groaned, sure something was dented in his brand new chest plate, when he heard a door creak open. He tilted his head up just enough to see a midnight blue face peering back at him.

"Princess Luna," he gasped, "you're ok!"

The Princess seemed a bit shocked at his exclamation, then scrunched up her nose with a sniffle and laughed. "Of course I am 'ok', I have brave guards such as yourself to defend me, haha!"

She sniffled again, turning her face away from him. But he could still see the water marks on her face. "Princess… were you… crying?" He kept his tone soft, but serious. Princess Luna blinked, then looked back at him in surprise.

"Crying? No, of… of course not. Why would I be? You are the one who may be hurt, after all," she gave a small laugh again, but he could hear how forced it was. Nimbus frowned at her, then pushed himself to his hooves. He kept his head bowed respectfully to her as he brushed himself off.

"With all due respect, Your Highness, I am sworn to protect the Princesses of Equestria. I'm sure that protection extends to your feelings as well. Please, allow me to serve you in full, and vent your frustrations to me? If they're not too personal, that is," he added, raising his head just enough to look at her expression.

Princess Luna looked absolutely shocked at his words, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. It was then that Nimbus remembered that this was no mere mare he was speaking with. He felt his face grow hot as he blushed, embarrassed and fearful that he had overstepped some unspoken boundary. His gaze fell back to the floor, and he lowered himself into a more complete bow, hoping that might make up for his behavior at least a little.

"Please don't," he heard her whisper, "don't do that now, not after… You're right. I do need to vent, just for a little while. Please, follow me."

Incredulously, Nimbus raised his head to watch as the Princess turned and beckoned him to follow her through a door. He gulped, and followed her into what appeared to be a small lounge of some sort. There was a dark blue couch covered in cozy-looking pillows with a starry blanket thrown haphazardly over the back, an armchair of similar design, a fireplace, and several lamps illuminating a tall bookshelf. Around the room there seemed to be bubbles floating around, with images swirling inside of them. Luna settled onto the couch, then gestured to the empty armchair for him to sit. He tried not to look as stiff as he felt as he settled into it, crossing his hooves.

There were several long seconds of silence after that, in which neither one seemed to know what to say. It was excruciating. Finally, Nimbus cut it with a "So!"

What seems to be bothering you then, Princess?"

Luna blinked, seeming startled, then turned her head and let out a sigh. "It's just… I'm worried. I know that some ponies still fear me, and they think I may turn back into Nightmare Moon at any moment. I know that Equestria was able to run rather smoothly in my absence, and that my sister could handle things just fine. I…" she began to grow fidgety, hooves clacking together, "I wonder if there was a reason for my return at all? What if I do turn back into Nightmare Moon, and I hurt everypony all over again?" her breathing became more shallow now, and her voice shook. "Did I only do all of this for selfish reasons? Was I a fool for thinking I could be forgiven so easily? I should not have come back, I should have stayed in the Moon after all, I-"

"Princess Luna, please!" Nimbus blurted out, throwing himself from his chair to crouch in front of her, "Of course you won't hurt everypony. Just listen to yourself! Just the sheer fact that you are so worried about this means you won't let it happen again. And besides, everypony can see how much happier your sister is now that you are back!" He reached up a wing to wipe the tears from her face, and he gave her a tender smile. "Not to mention how you've helped others in ways you didn't mean. Why, I wouldn't have joined the night shift if I hadn't had a dream about you-"

"Actually, that was I," Luna interrupted. Nimbus felt his eyes widen as his smile froze in place.

"... Pardon?"

"That was I, in your dream. I wanted to ask you questions, so I entered your dream to speak with you directly," she explained, matter of factly. She then gestured to the bubbles floating around them. All at once, Nimbus seemed to realize how casual he had allowed himself to become in the last few minutes. He awkwardly retracted his wing from the Princess's face, took several steps back, and bowed his head.

"... I see. So, _you_ recommended me to the night shift? I didn't dream that?" He fought to keep his voice under control, but it still cracked once. He hadn't known that was within her power.

"Yes… Are you alright? You're being rather repetitive now…" he felt her move closer, trying to see his face, and he scrambled to back up further.

"I'm perfectly fine! But that's another example of you helping ponies! I'm so much happier on the night shift, haha!"

"... Really?" Luna asked, and her voice was so full of hope, Nimbus almost looked up at her again.

Almost.

"Really! See? You're doing good things as Princess. You'll be fine. Now that you seem to be doing better, I'll just be going-" he turned and had one hoof on the doorknob when he heard her speak up again.

"Wait!" she called, with such genuine emotion in her voice he couldn't help but pause, "What… Is your name?"

"... Nimbus Vanguard, your Highness."

"Nimbus…" he tried not to shiver as he heard his name with her voice, "thank you. I really needed a friend."

"... You're welcome, Princess. Please, enjoy the rest of your beautiful night."

The pegasus then stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He managed to make it all the way back to the stairs before completely falling apart. His chest heaved as he gasped for air, a hoof pressed to his heart to try and stifle the pounding. Princess Luna! Thanked him! The pony he had admired all his young life! The _Princess_ he had admired all his life, he reminded himself. And yet… Being her confidant in that tiny room, seeing her so vulnerable… it made her seem more normal. Like a regular mare.

He quickly shook the thought from his mind. She was far from regular. She was extraordinary! That's what made her a Princess, after all. This was just a small moment of worry for her. One that he was lucky enough to help her through. "A friend", she had called him! He felt absolutely giddy at the memory, but then pushed it away again. She had meant it only in that he listened to her trouble, that was all. Any guard would be willing to do the same. He just happened to be the guard that was there at the time, that was all. Yes. That was all…

He seemed to deflate as he descended the stairs, and by the time he reached the bottom, he had fully composed himself. He would not betray the Princess's trust by letting slip that there had been any moment of doubt in her mind. What had happened was her private business, and he would never bring it up to another soul ever again. Although… Maybe he would check on her tomorrow. Just to be sure she had recovered. As a friend.

That was all.

Right?


End file.
